An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, "The Raftsmen" is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of real life action and adventure fans, and will prove to be a unique and enduringly popular addition to community library collections.

- Midwest Book Review

Fascinating, thrilling real-life adventure story.

- Eve Datisman

Using a blend of archival photography and artwork interwoven with narrative comics, Barnett and Bondarenko engage readers with a rich and emotionally charged account of this long-overlooked voyage... The Raftsmen brings all the excitement of a television docudrama to the printed page through beautifully illustrated maps and sequentially illustrated accounts of major challenges during the voyage. This colourful and entertaining book is suitable for younger readers as well as for adults.

- James Gillespie

This intriguing debut tells the remarkable story of how Henri Beaudout sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with three companions on a 30-foot wooden raft in 1956... Barnett's book is beautifully laid out, and Bondarenko's lively graphic segments blend seamlessly with the narrative. This is a fascinating story that will take readers on a mostly forgotten but still inspiring voyage.

- Publishers Weekly

Now, the account of L'Egare II has arrived in book form as The Raftsmen, a storytelling tour de force that sees author Ryan Barnett and illustrator Dmitry Bondarenko combine their talents to remarkable effect.

- Harry Wilson

A fascinating and thrilling real-life adventure story.

- Kirkus

A fascinating blend of nonfiction storytelling, narrative comics, and archival imagery.

- Hakai Magazine's eNewsletter

Ryan Barnett's combination of words and photographs combine with Bondarenko's graphic comic to make a book that is not only fascinating but also handsome.

- Andrew Armitage

One of the great unsung maritime adventures of the twentieth century is the 1956 crossing of the North Atlantic by three French Canadians on a 30-foot raft built of nine telephone pole length logs and 6,000 feet of rope. Captained by Henri Beaudout, a draftsman, the voyage was designed to test his theory that a raft launched between the latitudes of 45 and 50 degrees north and powered only by a sail and the Gulf Stream has to end up in Europe in 100 days at most. But there was a more personal reason, too: Beaudout hoped the excursion would exorcise the demons that had plagued him since his experiences in WWII. Joining him as his crew were Gaston Vanackere, the cameraman who recorded the voyage, and Marc Modena, the radioman. The narrative nonfiction account of the 89-day voyage from Halifax to Cornwall in England is heavily illustrated with Vanackere's photographs, supplemented by comic art interludes drawn by Bondarenko. The highly dramatic account makes compelling reading for armchair adventurers of all ages.

- Michael Cart

The account of the voyage is gripping, as is the illustrated narrative... The core story comes across every bit as odd, remarkable, and worthy of being remembered as Barnett intended.

- Quill and Quire